May Young Classroom Article

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Even as the school year is coming to an end, the 7th graders are working as hard as ever. From wrapping up their 2nd year at Kennedy to moving on to 8th grade, Mrs. Young’s math and language arts classes are continuing to develop as they transition into next year.

In Math, the students are learning about quadratics and factoring. They are learning how to apply these skills in writing, graphing, and solving quadratic equations. They have had to study hard to ensure that they succeed on the 4 assessments which Mrs. Young has given them.

Before the trip to see Macbeth in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the 7th-grade Phoenixes studied the play and broke it apart. They had watched clips of scenes before the play, and really enjoyed the performance.

In language arts class, the students are working on their companion short story literary analyses. They will choose one of five different suspenseful short stories and analyze the literary elements within it. On April 26th, the 8th graders gave feedback to the 7th graders on their papers. They will meet again on Monday, April 30th to continue revising.

During the week of April 29th, the seventh graders will begin their monologues, which they will give memorized to the class. There are many monologues to choose, including excerpts from Shakespeare plays to comedy. In 2 weeks, they will give their History of Theater projects. They will be researching different styles of theater around the world and throughout history. Some examples of theaters they will research include Greek, Roman, Bollywood, Kabuki, and more.

After these projects are over, the 7th-graders will read A Midsummer Night’s Dream and act it out in front of their class.

Moving on to 8th grade, the 7th graders are feeling a bit nervous. A few of them feel ready for the change. According to Miles Taylor, he feels “kinda nervous, but also really excited.” Another group feels that it would be difficult to acclimate to 8th grade; according to Ian Rushing, he is “kind of scared.”

Their first year being on the team has made their learning experience very enjoyable. They have felt an increase in expectations, and this has helped them develop their independence, making their first year on the Phoenix team a hard-working and enjoyable experience.